Apparatus for treating flexible materials



Aug. 18, 1931. B. c. MILLER 1,819,109

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE MATERIALS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 2SheetsSheet 1 1 J A 21% f," 229 2a 6 g; .5 6 w w 1i Q) 75a;- BY

ATTORNEY Aug. 18, 1931. B. c. MILLER 1,819,109

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE MATERIALS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 2 BY 3% W I ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1931.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca 3m 0. IILLER, 01' NEWABKIWEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOB TO 8. D. WARREN CODA. OI BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIONOF WGEUBITTI APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE MATERIALS Application filedOctober 4, 1827. Serial Io. 223,858.

The present invention relates, generally, to improvements in method andapparatus for coating or impregnating or treating papers,

cloth or other such material with solutions or suspensions of varnishes,lacquers, or other materials or chemicals and for removing the solventor carrier of the solution or suspension from the material treated, andalso for A drying the treated material. The invention relates, moreparticularly, to method and apparatus for im regnating, coating, orotherwise treating 0 other products, in sheet, tape or other form,

V with a solution or suspension in a vacuum such as a nitro cellulosesolution.

The invention has for a principal object to provide method and apparatusfor rapidly an economically impregnating, coating or otherwise treatingpaper, fabric, or material such as nitro-cellulose films, or othermaterials and removing the solvent or carrier from the treated material.

Another object of the invention is to provide method and apparatus forrolling sheet material from one roll and rolling it up again intoanother roll in a short s ace and at a fairly ra id rate of speed, antreating and drying t e material during the process of rolling andunrolling.

Other objects of the invention reside in the several steps of the methodor process of the invention and in combinations of such steps, and alsoin several detail features of the apparatus and in combinations thereof,not at this time more particularly enumerated, but clearly understoodfrom the following detailed description of the method and apparatus ofthe invention.

With the various objects of the invention in view, the same consists,primarily, in the novel arrangements and combinations of parts maln'ngup the treating apparatus hereinafter set forth, and of the methodherein described, and, the invention also consists in the details of theconstruction of said parts and methods and steps thereof all of whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in theclaims appended hereto.

60 The apparatus of the invention 1s clearly 0th, paper, nitro-celluloseor illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which V, Figure 1 is anelevation view in section of one form thereof; Figure 2 is a sideelevation View, in part cut away, of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3is a side elevation v ew in part cut away of an alternate embodiment ofthe invention; and Figure 4 is an elevatlon view, in part cut away, andlookin 1n the direction of the arrows 4-4 0 Figure 3.

Similar characters of reference are employed 1n all of the hereinabovedescribed v1ews, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates avertical longitud nal casing supported by the legs 2, 2. The side walls3 and 4, asshown, are continuous from top to bottom and between themacross the front and back are the spaced apart slats or bars 5, 6, 6,and 7 Top and bottom closures 8 and 9 are made with air tight contactrespectively with said sides 3 and 4 and bars 5, 5, and with said sides3 and 4 and said bars 7, 7. As shown, across the upper four openingsbetween the sides 3 and 4 and the bars 5, 6, 6, there are provided theair tight frames 10, 10 which are held in place by the bolts 11, 11 andwing nuts 12, 12, and have glass plate13 set therein and carried thereby1n air tight relation.

sides 3 and 4 are the electric heating units 14, 14, conventionallyshown, which are movable on the jointed supporting arms 15, 15 so thatthey can be adjustably positioned between the window sides of the casing1 and the center thereof. Flexible conductor leads 17, 17 extend throughsaid sides 3 and 4 and serves to make electrical connection to saidheaters 14, 14.

Said casing 1, at said top 8 is provided wlth a pipe connection 18 forjoining to a pump, not shown; and a vacuum and pressure gauge 19 isprovided at one side, near the top. Across the center of the sides 3 and4 near the top is provided the winding axle 20, which extendstherethrough in air tight bushmgs, not shown, and carries on its outsideends the driving pulleys 21, 21. Directly below the said shaft 20 andaligned Carried by said A of said sha ts 20 and 22, are the shafts 23and 24, each of which carries an idler roller and 26, respectively. Onsaid shaft 224s mounted a roll of paper 27 which extends over said idlerroll 26 and therefrom'in a span 28, to and over said idler roll'25 andthence to said shaft 20 where it is wound in a roll 29.

In the fourth open space from the top between said bars 6, 6, on eachside, is mounted, in air tight relation, a closure 30 which is removableand replaceable. Each of said closures carries projecting therethrough'a liquid or paint spray gun 31, of the well known type, having an airressure hose 32 and a llquid or paint fee hose 33; said spray guns 30being projected, one toward each -slde of said paper span 28 near thebottom thereof.

In the next open space, which is the lowermost, is mounted the air tightclosure 34, one on each side of said casing 1. Each of said closures 34carries in air tight relation thereto a flat wide tube 35 which extendsdiagonal- 1y upwardly and inwardly from a point outside said casing 1 toa point near the center thereof. Said tubes 35, 35 are of a widthsubstantially that of the paper in said rolls 27 and 29; and each ofthese tubes carries a wick 36 which makes a good fit with its tube butis slidable therein and extends from the outer end of its tube intocontact with the respective side of said paper span 28 which is next toit. Each of said closures 34, 34, carries in airtight relation therewitha-box or casing 37 about the outer end of respective tube 35 and wick36, and each has an air tight cover 38. In each of said boxes 37, 37 isshown a quantity of treating llqllld 39 reaching above the outer end ofthe respective wick 36 and adapted to move through thewick and onto thepaper surface in contact with the inner end of the wick. Near the upperend of each of said boxes 37 is to move the wick into-and out of engamounted a .valve 40 for applying air pressure, when desired, to theinterior of the respective box to 'aid -in feeding treating liquidthrough said wicks 36,36. drain valve 41 is provided for 'emptyingeachof said boxes 37, 37. Transversely across 'each of said boxes 37, 37 ismounted a shaft 42 which carries the toothed wheels 43, 43 which latterengage a respective wick 36,'and, by the .turn

ing thereof by means of a handle 44, serve illustrated in Figures 1 and2 and above described, and according to the method of the invention, forthe purpose of treating, coating, sizing, impregnating, coloring, orfusing of paper or paper surfaces, fabric, or any flexible material foraltering or qualifying such materials for various uses can be done asfollows. In the first place, the method consists in running a continuousroll of the material to be treated in a heated or unheated vacuumchamber and to impregnate or coat with a solution or liquid suspensionmaintained exterior to the vacuum chamber and supplied to the'materialas it is applied thereto, without breaking the vacuum.

, An unwind roll 27 is mounted on said shaft 22 and the outer endthereof over said rollers 26 and 25 and started on said rewindin shaft20, the casing 21 is closed up to a tigEt seal, and heat supplied bypassing current through said resistor heaters 14, 14. A suction systemis then connected to said casing 1 through'either or .both of said pipes18 and 45. As shown, and particularly when both sides of the material isto be treated, the material is, preferably, run vertically through thetreating chamber. The shaft 20 then is rotated by power means, notshown, and

applied as by means of said pulleys 21, 21 to rewind the material into aroll 29 and unwind it of]? said roll 27, the span 28 thereof beingexposed to the liquid applying and the dryin means shown.

hen liquid is to be applied from said box 37, 37 the handles 44, 44 areturned to bring the inner ends of said wicks 36, 36 against the surfacesof said span 28 above said roll 26. The suction applied to said casing 1will draw the liquid 39 from said box 37 through wicks 36, 36 which willapply it to flexible material as it is unrolled from theroll 27 andpassed cooperate to drive the solvent from the liquid coating orimpregnation on said span 28 and carry it out of the chamber whereby arapid a curing of the material left after the vaporization of thevehicle or solvent of the suspension or solution. When desired ornecessary pressure can be applied through the .to said roll 29. "Boththe heat and vacuum 11oand complete drying'is eifected together with.valves 40, 40 to aid; in feeding the liquid suspension or solution 39,39 through-said wicks 36, 36. Sa1d wicks serve also as a scraper orsmoothers to secure an even and uniform application of the liquid to thematerial passed therebetween, and the amount of contact of.

the ends of said wicks 36, 36" with said span 1 28 is adjustable toregulate the amount of liquid applied to said span. The rate of speedofthe'unwind and the rewind can be regulated in accordance with the rateof applicaing of the treating material.

Treatingsolution lean also be applied by means of the spray guns 31, 31which latter tion of solvent and-the rate of. drying or our-- can becontrolled in a well known manner to regulate the amount or rate offeeding to the span 28 as it passes thereby. In some cases it will beadvantageous to use both the wicks 36, 36 and the spray guns 31, 31 forappl ing the liquid or li uids and particularly w ere they are of a dierent nature or constituency.

In Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings is shown an alternate embodiment ofthe apparatus of the invention which is somewhat similar to that ofFigures 1 and 2 except for the following distinction. In place of saidclosures 30 and 34, on each side, there is a single closure member 50,each of which, near its top, carries a spray gun 31. Each of saldclosures 50 carries on its inner side a box or tank 51 which is entirelyclosed except at the inner side thereof whereinv is an opening throughwhich extends a liquid feeding roll 52. Each of these said feeding rolls52, 52 extends into its respective box 51 to a level below the upperlevel of the inner wall of said box 51 and also extends laterally andinwardly beyond the edge of said inner Wall. The two said rolls 52, 52are movable, by means not shown, toward and from each other forregulation of the distance between them in accordance with the thicknessof the material to which liquid is to be fed by these rolls. The wallsof said boxes 51, 51 extend into such close proximity to its respectiveroll 52 as to provide substantial obstruction against evaporation ofliquid from said box but at the same time permitting a rotation of saidrolls on their axes. Each of said boxes 51 is provided with a valve 53and a valve 54 at the top and bottom, respectively, of the respectivebox. These valves serve for supplying liquid to said boxes 51 and forwithdrawing it therefrom.

In the use and operation of this embodiment of my invention, the sprayguns 31, may be used for applying the liquid to the material span 28 asit is wound from one roll onto another, the same as in the operation ofthe embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Also, when a body of treating liquid solution 55 is in said boxes 51 toa height above the bottom of said rolls 52 and said rolls 52 each movedlaterally into frictional contact with said span 28, the said rolls 52will be rotated by the material of said span 28 as it passes from saidroll 27 to said roll 29 and said rolls 52, 52 will pick up said liquid55 and feed it onto the material passed therebetween.

The apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 and also shown in Figures 3 and 4can be used for applying the liquid in still another manner, as followsA roll of material 27 is mounted on the shaft 22 and the bottom of thecasing 1 is filled to a level above the top of said roll 27 and thelatter thoroughly moistened or impregnated therewith. The material isthen unwound from roll 27 onto said roller or shaft 20 after which theexcess of liquid is withdrawn throu h said valve 46 which is then closedto ma e air tight. Heat is then applied by means of the units 14, 14 andthe casing attached to a suction system, the maplurality of fabricssimultaneously as for example, for pasting two materials together into asingle flexible sheet with a water proofing application.

The method of the invention provides for an effective and evendistribution of material over the surface to which it is applied foruniform and thorough drying, curing or other treatment of the materialapplied.

This method also does away with the disadvantages attending treatment inthe 0 en air and particularly it eliminates wr' es, cockles, airblisters, and unevenness which often occurs in the application ofvarnishes, sizing, impregnations and other materials to fabrics, papersand other such materials. The apparatus and method of the invention areof advantage in the treatment of fabric, paper, or other material withshort fibres because the treatment rovides drying with a minimum amount0 heat and time. Likewise, because a minimum amount of heat can be usedfor drying, colored materials can be treated, or can be applied andtreated in the apparatus of the invention without deteriorating thecolors.

I am aware that some changes, other than those already indicated, may bemade in the various arrangements and combinations of several devices andparts, without departing from the scope of this invention, as abovedescribed, and as defined in the appended claims, hence, I do not limitmy invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of parts ordevices nor to the exact combina tions or sequence or order of the stepsin the method as described in the foregoing specification, nor do Iconfine myself to the exact details of the construction of said parts asillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1. In an apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber, a liquid applyingmeans comprising a wick extending from without through substantially airtight passage through a wall means permitting the sup lyin ofa liquid tosaid wick at a point outsl e sai chamber and permitting the maintenanceofa greater ressure outside said chamber than in it w ereby feedin ofthe liquid by means of said wick is ai ed. 2. Apparatus for applying aliquid suspension or solution having a volatile constituent, comprising,an enclosing chamber adapted for maintaining a reduced pressure whenconnected to a suction system, and means for feeding a liquid in acontinued stream from a point outside said chamber to an applicationpoint within, said means extending from outside said chamber to theinterior and being in reduced pressure maintaining relation with respectto the wall,

thereof.

3. Apparatus for the applying of liquid suspension or solution having avolatile constituent to a flexible sheet,comprising a substantiallyclosed chamber, liquid reservoirs at 1 either side thereof, wicksinclined upwardly from the reservoirs and extendin the walls of thechamber, said wic s having through juxtaposed ends to engage a flexiblesheet therebetween, means for drawing such a sheet past the wick ends,and duct connections to the chamber. and reservoirs respectively,whereby a pneumatic pressure difierential may be set up in the same toaid flow of liquid alon thevwicks.

, In testimon that I claim the invention set forth above I ave hereuntoset my hand this 27th day of September 1927f BERT c. MI LER.-

